Employment Engagement Officer- Learning Disability and Autism

Employment Engagement Officer- Learning Disability and Autism

Job reference: 005362

Salary: £36,750 per year plus £2,000 car allowance

Closing date: 05/08/2026

Location: Leicester

Job Description

Job Title: Employment Engagement Officer - Learning Disability and Autism

Location: National (Requires travel across MacIntyre services)

Contract: 2-Year Fixed-Term | Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week

Salary: £36,750 per annum + £2,000 car allowance

Help Create Employment Opportunities That Change Lives

At MacIntyre, we believe everyone deserves the chance to live a "gloriously ordinary life." For many people, that includes meaningful paid work, learning new skills, earning their own money, and being valued as an equal part of their community.

We are looking for an experienced, values-driven Employment Engagement Officer to support a 2-year project to strengthen and expand our supported employment pathways and supported internships across MacIntyre. This is a senior, high-impact position designed for a professional with a proven track record who is looking for a genuine step up into national strategic delivery.

Why This Role Matters

The opportunity in front of us is huge, and official figures tell a stark story:

• 6% of Adults with Learning disabilities are in paid employment, compared to 76% of the general population
• 4 out of 5 people with a Learning Disability want to work

(Sources: Department of Health and Social Care / Office for National Statistics)

Most people with a learning disability and many autistic people want to work. With the right support and the right employers, they thrive. Closing this gap is exactly what this role exists to do.

About the Role

This is not a traditional employment support role. You will lead the implementation of MacIntyre’s agreed Employment Strategy on a national scale, helping to build the tools, partnerships and local confidence needed to make this work sustainable. Operating with a person-centred, strengths-based approach, you will work with internal operational teams, Job Coaches, external employers and partner agencies to help remove barriers to work and support sustainable, long-term employment opportunities.

Core Focus Areas:

• Employer Engagement:Source, build, and maintain trusted relationships with local and national businesses that share our values. Advocate for inclusive recruitment, promote Disability Confident practices, and negotiate reasonable adjustments to secure job retention.
• Benefits Advisory & Guidance:Act as our internal expert on the work-related welfare benefits system. You will carry out basic benefits calculations and "better-off-in-work" assessments (covering Universal Credit, PIP, ESA, and Access to Work) to ensure the people who draw on our support can make informed financial decisions.
• Practice Leadership:Act as a role model upholding MacIntyre’s Leadership DNA. You will coach, inspire, and quality-check local staff teams and Job Coaches on delivering tailored employment action plans (CV writing, interviews, in-work support) and maintaining meticulous records.
• Compliance & Partnership:Ensure all activity aligns with regulatory standards, data protection, and safeguarding policies. You will track service performance against key KPIs and professionally represent MacIntyre at multi-agency meetings, panels, and forums.

About You

This role requires a professional who has past experience in a similar role within supported employment, employability, social care, or SEN careers guidance.

Essential Criteria:

• Experience:Significant, demonstrable experience supporting people with SEND, autism, or complex barriers into paid employment, alongside a proven track record in business outreach and multi-agency partnership work.
• Sector & System Knowledge:A solid practical understanding of the SEND sector (including EHCPs and the SEND Code of Practice), supported internship models, and the benefits system.
• Qualifications & Skills:Educated to a Level 5 qualification in a relevant discipline (e.g., Social Care, SEN, and Management) or possess equivalent senior-level experience. Excellent communication, advocacy, and IT/social media skills are required.
• Mobility:A full UK driving licence and access to your own vehicle with business insurance are essential. This role involves regular travel to various MacIntyre services, some of which are not accessible via public transport.
• Personal Attributes: Resilient, patient, and solution-focused with a passionate commitment to disability inclusion and employment equality.

Desirable Criteria:

• Formal training in welfare benefits advice.
• Project management experience or qualifications.

About Us

MacIntyre is an award-winning national charity supporting over 1,200 people with a learning disability and autistic people. Founded in 1966, we have spent nearly 60 years celebrating people's strengths, talents, and potential.

Training, Development, and Career Progression

At MacIntyre, we are deeply committed to helping our colleagues grow. We know it can be daunting to start a new job, and because everyone learns differently, we provide a tailored mix of eLearning, face-to-face training, and on-the-job mentoring support throughout your probation.

But it doesn't stop there. Throughout your career with us, you will have structured access to our dedicated in-house Learning and Development team, Quality Specialists, and HR teams to keep your sector knowledge sharp.

Pay and Rewards

We provide a range of benefits to reward and thank our staff which includes:

• Six weeks' annual leave including statutory public holidays
• Workplace Pension scheme – MacIntyre will contribute 3% of your salary to all eligible employees
• MacIntyre Staff Savings Scheme
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
• Health Cash Plan which provides money back on core health treatments such as: optical, dental, physiotherapy, chiropody (at reduced cost)
• MacIntyre Sick Pay (qualifying period)
• Life assurance scheme offering valuable benefits to your dependents
• MacIntyre Rewards Scheme which recognises and rewards staff
• MacIntyre Perks which offers up to 6% discount off leading retailers including Tesco, Curry/PC World, Costa and many more
• Access to the Blue Light Card which offers thousands of amazing discounts online and on the high street for emergency and social care staff.
• Enhanced DBS Certificate (cost paid by MacIntyre)

How to apply
If this job sounds like the right fit for you, click on the Apply button on the MacIntyre website, complete some brief details and upload your CV.

Alternatively if you would prefer to complete a manual application form, call us 01908 357 016 and we will send an application form to you.

Please note: we reserve the right to close this advert early if we have received a sufficient number of applications, so don't delay, apply today.

"Please note that MacIntyre does not offer Skilled Worker visa sponsorship for this role. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK for the duration of their employment."

Safer Recruitment and Diversity statement

MacIntyre safeguards and promotes the welfare of the children, young people and adults we support. Therefore we work with successful candidates to complete appropriate checks prior to joining.

MacIntyre is committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity and embracing inclusion among our workforce. We want our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and the people we support. As part of this commitment, our accessibility toolbar allows you a number of options: read adverts in another language (including Welsh for our Services located in Wales), change the font to Open Dyslexia, change the colours, and many others. Just click the button marked “Accessibility” at the top of the screen.